Broken Renegade
by Bri357
Summary: When Lestrade has trouble catching a small child for stealing food. He requests the help of the famous consulting detective . However, once they catch her, they deal with someone who has different motives than expected.
1. Chapter 1

Thump Thump. Thump Thump. Thump Thump. Another early morning and Sara was running as fast as she could. She stole from a fruit stand and the police were running after her. The sad thing was that she was seven years old. Innocence broken. She ran into an alley and looked back and kicked a trashcan out of the way and a few tripped over that. An officer called "Officer Venti requesting back up"

Sara then heard sirens behind her and she smirked and ran faster with her bare feet and practically flew past pedestrians. She went under a tunnel and hid in a sewage pipe and crawled inside and looked around and made her way out by Scotland yard. She crawled out and Lestrade and Sally noticed her once she looked at them "OI! Get back over here!" He yelled and chased after her and Sara ran off again quickly.

"This is SO not my division" He panted and kept running. Sara looked back before bumping forcibly into a rather tall male and fell down, fruit going on the ground.

"GET BACK HERE!" Lestrade yelled as she gathered the food in her satchel and nodded at the tall male as an apology and dashed off again.

Little did Sara knew, the man she bumped into was John Watson, although not that tall, was tall to her. Lestrade stopped and took a breath of exhaustion "Morning John" he panted and looked to see Sara gone "Damnit!" He scolded.

"Why are you chasing a seven year old, if you don't mind me asking" John asked

"You mean that red-haired demon? She's been stealing food for months and we have failed to catch her. We are trying to get her into the Homeless network" He panted

"Maybe try to get Sherlock on it?" He asked

"No... I have a plan to catch her tomorrow morning. Beat her at her own little game" He smirked slightly "But if you want him to help that would be great too" He nodded as he stood straight.

Meanwhile, Sara ran back to the warehouse at which she lived in and opened the door and then shut it again "Dash!" Sara called and a German Sheppard puppy ran over to her, barking happily and licked her face "Hehe! Alright boy I grabbed breakfast for me and I also grabbed some scraped meat. Such a waste" She chuckled and she sat with him and gave him the meat as he happily chewed on it. Sara took a bite of an apple and nodded gently in content.

John made his way with the groceries and milk "Morning Sherlock" He said "I got you your groceries like you asked" he added. Sherlock was in his chair and was in his mind palace "Morning John" he greeted in his usual monotone. John put the groceries away "By the way..." John started

"I'm already aware of your encounter this morning and Lestrade contacted me about it even though he wanted you to tell me about it. I'm not interested in the child. The yard is just stupid for not being able to catch a tiny child orphan, if they really needed my help, they would give me an interesting case" He stood and looked at him

"But they do need your help... Sherlock, we haven't had a case in months and this could help that itch for a little bit" John said

"But A KID John, A bloody kid! Even I could catch her easily!" Sherlock boasted

"Then go tomorrow and help the damn ambush" John exclaimed

"Fine!" Sherlock said and then realized "God dammit" He groaned.  
A few hours later Lestrade called Sherlock to discuss the plan. Lestrade sat in his chair and nodded "Hello Sherlock. Called to talk about tomorrow" he started

"Alright. What's your plan?" Sherlock asked uninterested slightly  
"I know that the girl will be in the area tomorrow" Lestrade started "So my suggestion is to ambush her and if she tries to run, we corner her" He suggested  
"Why didn't you do that in the damn first place Lestrade?" Sherlock question  
"I-...I'm not sure. Meet me at Scotland yard around 6 o'clock tomorrow morning and We'll chat more" replied Lestrade before hanging up.

John looked up from his laptop "Was that Lestrade?" he asked  
"Yep" Sherlock gave a curt nod and a quiet sigh "We are meeting Lestrade at 6 tomorrow morning. You don't have to come, but it would be nice" Sherlock leaned back in his chair gently, waiting.


	2. Chapter 2: Sherlock's Plan

The next morning washed over London. A rainy day as officers and Lestrade waited for Sara to show up. Sherlock showed up at the appropriate time of 6 in the morning. Lestrade looked at Sherlock "Good morning Sherlock" Lestrade greeted and yawned.

"Morning" he replied and nodded.

At seven, an officer reported seeing the small girl and everyone took their places. Sara approached the fruit stand and looked at the fruit and with the man's back turned, she grabbed some apples and some oranges before the clerk noticed as she ran off "HEY! GET BACK HERE!" he yelled and the officers sprang into action and chased after her. She grabbed a loaf of bread as well from a stand as well "HEY!" The woman yelled. Sara looked back quickly and ran into an alley quickly and slammed a trash can down and some officers fell. Sherlock was hiding when she ran past and then he took his chance. Sherlock grabbed her by the arm as Sara struggled to get free "Stop running. It's hopeless" Sherlock demanded.

"L-let me go" Sara replied and growled

"Not until you stop doing this and let us help" Sherlock retorted

"N-nobody understands... n-not e-even you" She bit his hand rather hard and Sherlock let go and let Sara get away as he inspected his hand. It was bleeding between his thumb and pointer fingers "Easy triggering flight or fight response" he thought as he looked up to see her all the way down the street and take a turn. He gave a sigh as Lestrade went to his side "Did you get her?" he asked

"Only for a moment. There is something that she is hiding just from her expression. She seemed desperate indicating pre-mature anxiety and an easy triggering fight or flight response. She also has early symptoms of moderate PTSD based off what she is hiding and that thing is, I'm not so sure, but I will figure it out eventually." He showed the bite mark to Lestrade quickly.

"Well, you at least got something out of it and I hope that we can do this tomorrow" Lestrade nodded gently as Sherlock walked home. At Baker St, John noticed Sherlock walk into the flat and put the jacket and scarf on the rack "How was the chase this morning? Did they grab her?" He asked

"No, I let her get away. I tried reasoning with her and then she bit me" He showed the bite mark quickly

"Geez, stubborn" John replied and stood and walked over to observe the bite mark "Well, it should heal up in a bit of time. Didn't do too much harm" John examined before going to the kitchen "So what now?" He asked

"We try again. By our selves and investigate the matter, try to reason with her and hopefully put her in a decent home or in the network" Sherlock schemed and sat in his chair "Tonight we go out, track her down, kidnap and bring her here to interrogate"

"And how the hell are we going to be bating a seven year old?" John questioned

"Quite simple really, don't be so simple minded John. We bait her in with something she wants, food. Anything for a young girl her age needs" He smirked slightly "I did happen to make another observation that I happened to notice just now. She has a companion to keep her company, a German Sheppard to be more accurate" he nodded "I noticed the dog hair on her jumpsuit that she was wearing. There... was a number but unsure as to what it totally means" He put his hands under his chin and closed his eyes gently.


	3. Chapter 3: Interjections

The night soon followed. The day at Baker St were uneventful. Sherlock at this point was SO bored he looked forward to now. John had gotten food which was mostly fruit and meat scraps, some rope, a cage and muzzle also a leash if she brought the dog. They were prepared for any situation that could happen. Sherlock grabbed the food and rope while john was in charge of the muzzle and leash. They set out and looked around the city and set the food by the docks about 300 yards away from the actual warehouses. The trap he placed in a different location in case if she ran. They eventually heard barking noises and footsteps knowing it was full time to hide.

Sara and Dash were on their nightly walk around. Dash smelled food and a lot of it nearby and ran over "Dash wait!" She called out and grabbed him when they got really close, seeing the food and tilted her head gently at the as she saw the food out of no where. It almost seemed to suspicious to be placed there. Sara however picked it up and placed it in her bag. Sherlock and John sneaked up behind her and Dash barked, noticing them. Sara turned around seeing the duo. She took a step back "Come on Dash!" she yelled and ran off as fast as she could with her dog following behind. Sherlock immediately took chase with John following behind. She ran down the street with Sherlock and John following close behind and also right into Sherlock's little trap. She ran into an alley to try and get away then "AH!" screamed Sara as the trap set off and she was dangled 30 ft into the air by her foot. Dash barked and jumped up and down before John grabbed Dash and leashed and muzzled him despite almost getting bit. Sara struggled to get down before she heard again "Stop struggling. It's hopeless" Sherlock called up "Your blood is rushing to your brain as we speak and you'll probably pass out from hitting your head. All your doing is making things worse" Sherlock explained as Sara's vision got blurry and grunted as she stopped struggling. By the time Sherlock had cut her down, she was passed out as expected Sherlock and John took the both of them home.

The next morning, Sara woke up in a totally different place than she was before. She sat up and noticed she had a difficult time. She looked behind to see her hands. Handcuffed. She noticed Dash was in a cage still muzzled and was whimpering through it. Sara frowned and looked down before hearing two sets of footsteps and saw her captors come into the room "Ah. Good morning" Sherlock greeted in a sarcastic tone as John followed behind him. Sara didn't say a word to them "Don't want a friendly chat eh?" Sherlock asked and Sara gave him a glare "Well, firstly if you promise not to run, we'll take those handcuffs off of you. What do you say?" He offered and nodded to John to take off the handcuffs after not saying a word and Sara stayed still "Good. Now you have some explaining to do" Sherlock sat in his chair and crossed. Sara looked down at her companion "You let my dog go. Then we talk" She demanded

"So you do speak. Well good, but I won't let that happen until I get this figured out or else I may have to involve someone who will be more than happy to see you" He threatened. John sat in his chair with his laptop.

"I don't trust you" She glared

"I never said you had to trust anyone. Just tell me the details and your motives and I'll send you on your way. It's that simple" Sherlock replied in a calm tone. He waited a moment. He glanced at Dash for a brief moment "If you're not going to talk" He pulls out a gun and aims it at Dash "You're dog dies" he threatened.

"Sherlock, this is ridiculous!" John exclaimed "This is simply wrong. You're putting her best friend at gun point!" He glared

"They're plenty of strays on the street John. I'm she can find a new one. If-"

"I'll talk, just leave him alone. Please!" Sara pleaded, clearly in a panic.

"Ah. Very good. Now talk" He put the gun away.

"Ok... well. Where should I begin?" She asked.

"You're name would be nice" John interjected.

"Sara. My name is Sara"

"Alright, now tell me your story. Please excuse my friend here, he's uh... very demanding" John chuckled

"Ok, I was born to a family outside of Manchester. We were a happy one too... until... they were killed when I was a year old" She looked down

"Did your parents have names?"

"Of course they had a name John. She probably just doesn't remember!" Sherlock retorted

"Shut up Sherlock!" John yelled

"Well... I really don't remember but this may be a clue" Sara pulled out a locket on a brass chain with a medium sized brass heart engraved 'Ryder' and took it off and handed it to John. He took a closer look and opened it revealing a picture of her estranged parents. He then handed it to Sherlock. Sherlock recognized their faces as if he had seen them in a newspaper. Sara's father was quite the gentleman who was a journalist for 'The Tower Tribune' and her mother was an artist for a model ad agency. They were both truly in love until their death. Sherlock had investigated their murder. He looked up at Sara "You're her..." He bursted out.

"Pardon?" She asked

"You're her... the kid I-I thought burned with the house. I-I thought you were dead..." Sherlock stood and gave her the locket before going to look for the case file.

"The murderers... sold me to the black market where they knew they could make some money" She looked down. John could tell she didn't want to talk about it and felt sympathy for her. Sherlock looked through the old case file quickly and smiled "Yes, Amara and Cornelius the III. You were their baby. You were the child I never found! I knew I saw something in you" He smiled in glee before John cleared his throat, seeing her expression "Apologies..." He sat down.

"I was sold to a laboratory and took away my name, gave me a number instead... 43056. I was there day and night. Night and Day. Experimented, Tortured, Interrogated. Years passed and I knew I had to leave. I couldn't stand those people anymore. Those monsters... I conjured a plan to escape from my cell and I ran and ran as fast as I could and also removed my tracker chip" She pulled down her sleeve to show a cloth wrapped around her arm and John frowned at it, Sherlock gave no reaction.

"And now... I hide from them and I try to survive" She explained. Dash whimpered as she looked down, wanting to comfort her.

"John... you can let the dog go" Sherlock said. John stood from his seat and unlocked the cage. Dash ran out and immediately to her side as Sara took the muzzle off and she hugged him as Dash gave kisses to her face. There was silence in the room before John spoke "If you like, I can take a look at your injuries... it's the least I can do"

Sherlock only rolled his eyes at John's sympathetic offer. Sara nodded "Sure... I'd really like that" Sherlock knew this was going to be a very long day and had to come with a plan to help her get a home, much to his displeasure.


	4. Chapter 4: Conference Meeting at 221B

The night fell and Sherlock agreed to let Sara stay for the night with her dog while he came with a plan to give her a family. He pulled John aside "I need a plan"

"And you're asking me for help?" He asked "Well that's a first"

"Well, I need a Not-so-open minded person"

"You are being ridiculous"

"No I'm not..." Sherlock whispered yelled back

"Yes, you are Sherlock. All day you've basically been calling me stupid" John replied in a whisper as well.

"Well, you don't like to-" Sherlock started as Sara went downstairs "What is it?" Sherlock asked and looked up at her

"I had a bad dream..." She replied, rubbing her eye. John and Sherlock glanced at each other and did rock paper scissors and John won.

"Best 2 out of 3" Sherlock offered and John elbowed him "But I don't know how to deal with children... They're annoying" He whispered whined

"Forget it. I'll go talk to Dash if you don't want to help" Sara yawned and walked away. Sherlock felt a slight pang of guilt and John sighed

"Now you're just being childish. Dealing with children ain't so bad"

"Says you, you're a bloody Doctor!"

"Look, how about tomorrow we take this to Greg and see what he thinks we should do" John suggested

"Ugh, fine" Sherlock groaned "As long as he doesn't bring Anderson or Donovan, we are ok" Sherlock went up stairs and John followed, going to bed.

The next morning washed over London. Sherlock called Lestrade to come over and discuss a plan. Sara sat with John in the kitchen. Sara looked at John "What's going on?" she questioned.

"Well, we are going to attempt to get you a family" John replied as Lestrade, Anderson, and Donovan.

"Anderson, leave" Sherlock demanded

"I literally just walked in the damn room!" He exclaimed

"Just do as the freak says Anderson" Donovan rolled her eyes

"Hey! Don't call him that!" Sara defended

"What?! Since when am I going to take orders from a thief?" She asked and turned around

"Not my fault you get so cranky in the morning. Learn to be nice to others and if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all!"

"Oh why I outta-" Donovan started and made her way over, but not before Dash growling, baring his teeth. Sally walked out of the room with Anderson following behind.

Sherlock gave a low chuckle and smirk "So what do we do with Sara over there?" he asked as Lestrade turned around and walked over

"Maybe we can question her back at Scotland Yard?" he suggested "We already found the people that have official custody of her. They came forward yesterday. The earliest that we can give her back is tomorrow" he asked. Sara backed away from him, scared "No" she replied, shaking her head quickly.

"Fine. Let's say 3 pm tomorrow and we can get things rolling" Sherlock replied, absolutely forgetting about where she was about to go. Lestrade left and Sara hugged her knees "How could you?! I-I trusted you!" Sara yelled and stood.

"What's your problem?" he asked

"You should know already! I don't want to go back and you can't make me!" She yelled and ran into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door. John stood and started arguing with Sherlock about her situation in an outrage which ended up in a shouting match for at least an hour before Mrs. Hudson had to come and stop it.

John and Sherlock both tried to get Sara out of the bathroom and even Dash was no help. Sara came out in the middle of the day when Sherlock and John were both gone for a case. She looked around and grabbed her bag and some food from the fridge and cabinets before running off with Dash back into the streets. She proceeded to run back to the warehouse she called home when she bumped into a auburn-haired male on accident and she fell on her butt. Sara looked up at him "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to and-" She frantically apologized.

"It's quite alright Kid" He helped her up gently "Where are your parents?" he asked curiously

"I-um... I..."

"You don't have any?" he concluded and Sara nodded. The man began to think and then came with a not-so-sure idea, but could work "Hey, I'm just about to go back to my friend's house if you would like to come along" He offered.

"I-I don't know... I just got out of a bad situation and-" Sara took a few steps back.

"Well, can I at least help you?" he asked. Sara looked down at Dash who simply sat in his spot and she nodded "Ah. Good" He smiled softly "My name is-" he introduced as he got a call "Hello?" he said as he then nodded and hung up "Come on..." He nodded and walked down the street

"Where are we going?" Sara asked curiously and followed

"My friend's house" He replied.


	5. Chapter 5: Diamond In The Rough

The auburn-haired man who Sara bumped into took her to a big mansion was pretty secluded. Sara looked at him "This is your friend's house. It's huge!" She looked in awe. The man chuckled and gave a soft grin "I'm Sebastian by the way, but you can call me Seb" he nodded as Sara picked up Dash and entered inside the mansion. Think of a scaled down version of Trump's apartment with less gold, but a little more modern twist. Sara looked around at the decorations and the granite tile floors and a massive staircase going up the center. Reminded her of Buckingham Palace in a lot of ways just from pictures. Sara looked up at her new friend "I'm Sara. Pleasure to meet you" She smiled as a bigger black-haired women walked forward towards them "Hey... he asked me to give you this and-" She glanced at the small child as he handed Sebastian a telegram "Umm... You know he will not be happy about this right?" she whispered.

"I'm sure he'll have some use for the kid. Just try to stall her while I get this job done" Seb whispered back and walked out of the room. Sara looked up at the women "Who are you?" She asked.

"Denise. Um, would you like anything to eat?" she offered and Sara shook her head before a loud voice emerged from upstairs

"DENISE! WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING SO LONG?!"

"S-s-sorry sir! I'll be up at once!" she yelled and dashed up the stairs. Sara looked down at Dash who also had an unsettling feeling in her stomach. Dash whimpered quietly and looked up at Sara "It's ok... she'll be right back... but I have a bad feeling too boy" She frowned.

Minutes later, Denise came back with another telegram and gave it to her "He asked me to uh... give this to you and visit him in his foyer to the courtyard" She said

"A foyer? What's that?" Sara asked

"No time, but just go up those stairs and on the staircase to the left and go all the way down the hall" Denise ran off. Sara approached the stairs and slowly walked up them, unsure as of what to find. She followed Denise's instructions and went down the hallway to the foyer. She put down Dash and was about to knock on the door when it was already opened and she picked up Dash again and entered the foyer. It was a massive circular room that had paintings all around the room and sitting by the courtyard was a black haired man, slender with a calm composure, drinking tea. A butler offered to take her satchel and she slowly gave it to him.

"Welcome, Welcome. Sara, was it?" The male asked from the chair "Well, don't be shy little one, I don't bite... much"

Sara looked back at Dash as the feeling worsened in her stomach as she stalked towards the chair across from him. Once she sat down "Tea?" he offered.

"N-no thank you..." she replied and pet her dog gently "That's quite the puppy you got there" he nodded and Dash growled at him "Don't be so rude" Sara scolded

"No. No. I understand. I tend to give off unsettling feelings. Now, I'm sure you're curious and asking questions which is rather boring in my mind but, I'm here to offer you something young one. I assume you have no parents and I assume you... belong to someone" he deducted

"Y-you're not going to turn me in, are you?" she asked, scared

"No, of course not. Unless you don't cooperate" He smirked and took a sip of his tea "You see, I find you as a diamond in the rough, a needle in the haystack... If you know what I mean"

"So, I'm... different?" she asked

"Well, kind of... but everyone is different, so to speak" He replied

"Sir, I-"

"Jim. Or Moriarty... which one you prefer" he introduced

"Well, I-I don't know... but I think I know what you're trying to say"

"Good, but... I'm here to offer you something to make any parent proud... I want you to...get something for me. Your skills are good, but can be practiced. I've been watching-"

"TH-THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Sara stood and Dash got on the ground "I'M NOT THIS STUPID DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH NONSENSE THAT YOU SAY I AM!" She walked to the door as it slammed shut. Jim sighed and shook his head "We could have been friends Sara... We really could have. But take another step and you die... or sit down and we get back to a friendly chat..." Jim threatened, a red dot appeared around her heart and Dash growled at him.

"I...I..." Sara teared up

"We can still be friends, and we can still work together if you help me out here. This person has something I want and I want you to bring that file over here" Jim walked over and went to her height and handed her a card with a person's name on it "I'll be watching" he stood "DENISE!" he called as the door opened "Yes sir?"

"Give Sara some different clothes and a bath for the mission ahead. I don't want my pawns tracking her down..."

"Yes, sir" Denise nodded and guided Sara and Dash out of the room. Sara sniffled sadly and looked down as the butler gave her bag back as was guided to the bathroom before the door shut.


	6. Chapter 6: The Criminal's Game

Denise lead her down the hall to the bathroom and helped her get bathed and even had her haircut. Dash also got a bath and a haircut. Sara was offered new clothes that looked recently bought. She put them on and also put on the sneakers and Dash got a shiny collar and leash. Jim waited patiently for his new little toy and smirked as she did "Ah... very good. Much better, now your job is to sneak into this address and steal a flash drive for me and then run back without causing too much trouble. I will be watching you..." Jim smirked and handed her a piece of paper. Denise guided Sara and Dash out to the streets of London.

Sara looked at the paper and it read '221B Baker Street' and she remembered the address there and didn't want to go back. She sighed "Come on Dash" she whimpered and started running into the vast city of London. She walked to the infamous Baker Street number and a feeling of guilt washed over Sara. She didn't want to do this, but was forced to do this against her will. She gulped slightly and went through a window. She heard Sherlock and John fight upstairs

"John, I'm telling you that this person is totally irrational... I mean, ghosts? Really?" Sherlock asked in shock as they went downstairs and Sara hid quickly

"Well, think about it,he stated that people just faint when seeing a robed figure" John replied following

"That-That could be anything! It could be drugs, Tears gas, and besides ghosts don't exist! There is no such thing as the Paranormal" He said as they went out the door and John scoffed and followed.

Sara came out of hiding and went up the stairs quietly and looked around the messy flat and after a few minutes, found the flash drive and put it in her bag as she left with Dash and went down the stairs quietly and went out the window she came in through. She ran back Moriarty's place quickly to give him the flash drive he asked for.

Denise looked up and saw her and she bit her lip in regret, not wanting this to happen "He's expecting you" She looked away. Sara nodded and looked at her a moment, sensing something wrong with her.

"Are you ok?" She asked

"Yes, fine, just go" Denise ordered

"O-ok... Come on Dash" Sara made her way to the stairs. She went up the the foyer the his courtyard and saw the back turned again. She then felt hands on her and struggled and a muzzle on Dash. Sara turned her head, seeing white coats and the panic set in as Jim stood up.

"Welcome back Sara. I'm afraid we have to cut our partnership short" Jim walked over to her and she struggled

"What about the flash drive?" Sara asked

"Oh, that... I didn't need actually need it" He pulled out an identical flash drive out of his pocket "You were just a pawn in my little game... and I'm the Queen... taking you off the board. Such a small and naive child you are Sara" He chuckled and pinched her cheek. She lurched forward and the scientists held her back

"Y-you used me! You planned this! Didn't you?" She exclaimed angrily.

"Of course I did" He chuckled "I say farewell Sara... take her away" He ordered and thats exactly what the scientists as he stood straight.

Meanwhile, Sherlock and John got home "Well that case was pointless" Sherlock commented and sat in his chair

"No it wasn't" John replied and went into the kitchen

"It was about someone's missing dog John. A dog that died! Not some ghost robed figure!" He sighed as his phone buzzed. He opened a text and it read

'A flash drive of yours is missing. Meet you outside in 10 minutes... I have a new game for you- JM'

'Are you willing to tell me?-SH' he asked

'Deduce your flat Sherlock... God you are an idiot-JM'

Sherlock looked around the flat and saw small finger smudges over by his laptop and he did see dog hair on the floor that looked recent and clean. Sherlock looked up, realizing what was going on. He looked down "Sara was here" he said aloud

"But Sherlock, why would she come here after you know what happened?" John questioned

"Moriarty sent her here... he asked her to steal a flash drive from my computer" He looked back at his friend

"Do you know anything else?" he asked

"She went through the downstairs window" He nodded.

A few minutes later, Sherlock went outside and saw a black car and approached and saw Jim "Here you are... I had no use for it" he smirked

"Where is the kid?" Sherlock asked and took it

"The kid? Oh you mean Sara, she's in a safe place... where she deserves to be?" Jim asked

"She's only a child Moriarty!" He growled about to grab him

"Oh don't get so handsy Sherlock, you get ugly when angry" Jim chuckled softly

"Where. is. she..." He asked again

"I'll let you think about it Sherlock and then you can find it" He smirked gently before driving off.


	7. Chapter 7: The Pieces in Place

Sherlock huffed as he walked back into 221B. At least this made for a somewhat interesting case. John looked up at his friend who looked pissed off.

"Well, do you know where she is?" He asked

"Not yet, but I'll figure it out" He nodded and sighed as he sat poised in his chair and went into his mind palace.

His mind palace showed him a house. A decent sized one in that fact a mother and a father with a small child in the mother's arms, singing a song to her baby... an old lullaby. Before the mother put the baby down in the nursery and the parents went upstairs. In the late hours or night, two people come in and sneak upstairs and the scene changes. The small child is now in a cage and it looks like an auction "Can I have 2500, 2500? 3000? 3500?" The auctioneer spoke as it went between a business man and a simple man who looked out of place "5000?" He said and pointed to the odd man "Going once, going twice, Sold! Sir, please come up!" He announced and the scene changed again. A white building, windows hardly apparent. The girl was older but still very young. She look disheveled, depressed, broken... no hope as two scientists escorted her to this metal door and threw her into a darkened room "Get in there Ryder! See you tomorrow" One man laughed as he shut the door. Sherlock go blindly around the cell until she grabbed a flashlight hidden in her cell and lit it up. She also took out a box with various medical implements and he watched her crawl to a hole and dig out more and deeper into it. He then saw her at her current age escape through the tiny hole and escape. He saw the warehouse where she stayed and pull out a chip from her arm and throw it into the water.

Sherlock then woke up from his trance and he looked around "I have ideas where she could be" He announced. His friend looked up at him "Where?" John asked.

"Well... I want to see something first and confirm my speculation. I'm going out John" He grabbed his coat and scarf, leaving the flat and called a taxi.

Meanwhile, Sara was sitting in a dark cell, scared and alone. She sniffled "Why did I ever trust that guy..." She looked down and hugged her knees as a scientist opened the door and he grabbed her "Time for some long awaited fun" He smirked and she struggled to get out of his grip as he dragged her to the testing room.

Sherlock went to Scotland Yard and into Lestrade's office "Lestrade, I need to see your tracker interface and quickly"

Lestrade stood "Sherlock, you can't just barge in here!" He scolded. He then tilted his head "Why?" He asked. Sherlock growled "Sometime today please Greg!" He exclaimed.

"You actually remembered my name" He smiled as Sherlock gave his cold stare "Oh... tracker interface, yes" He nodded and lead him down to a computer and Sherlock immediately got on the interface and started hacking and looking for Sara from here. Lestrade watched and noticed all the people who were tracked and saw one little spot. Far away from everyone else in the local area. Sherlock looked up the coordinates and it was 'Haver Height Laboratory'

"Haver Height Laboratory?" Greg asked and raised an eyebrow "The lab that shut down?" He asked and raised a brow.

"Yes. But must've reopened in recent history" Sherlock replied and stood again and adjusted his coat gently and started walking to the exit. Lestrade looked at him as he left and gave small smile "He remembered my name!" He smiled and went back to his office.


	8. Chapter 8: Operation Haverhill Rescue

Sherlock got home, delighted and stood at the doorway with Dash, Sara's companion in his arms "Watson, The game is on" He nodded

John stood "Where is she?" he asked as he grabbed his coat "You found her dog?" he asked.

"Haverhill Laboratory and he must've escaped where he was kept" Sherlock replied and went back downstairs, John following behind. Sherlock called a taxi and they got inside "Haverhill Laboratory" Sherlock demanded and the taxi drove off. Dash looked out the window and wagged his tail gently.

After an hour they got to their destination. The edge of the woods. John paid the driver and Dash started sniffing the area to see if gets anything. After a minute or so, Dash barked and went off into the direction of the smell. Sherlock and John followed him. Dash growled as he got a scent of cologne close by, which was very familiar smell to him. Sherlock and John looked up and saw a massive building, mossy and dirty on the exterior.

Sherlock looked around and tried to figure out a way to get inside the laboratory. He then saw a man getting off of a dirt bike and he smirked as he sneaked to get closer and when he got close, he knocked him out with the wall and he took his ID and keys, giving John and Dash the ok to come forward. They got inside the lab through the back entrance. The interior was much more clean and white. They walked around in stealth and Dash smelled his friend and ran to a metal door and scratched on it gently and Sherlock opened it, empty. They were all confused and Dash whimpered.

"Jim told us to expect you" A scientist with black hair, gray eyes, white coat, scrubs and white shoes spoke as he pointed a gun at the group.

"And you must be the asshole who bought Sara..." Sherlock deducted

"Indeed... I did" He laughed a bit "Then she escaped from my very firm grasp and somehow hid for several months and now she's back as weak as ever... The fear I instilled years ago is still there and won't go away any time soon" He added.

"Why did you want her back even though she ran?" John asked

"Well, you see Watson... When she escaped, Moriarty and I made a small deal that if he managed to catch Sara, we would get her back and he currently owns the company since he helped us get back into business" The scientist explained

"That's why you bought Sara. It's why this whole operation is still going on. For your experiments and for money, to make money with criminals like Moriarty" Sherlock glared.

"Exactly. Figured you catch up on it at some point Holmes. Your brother even helped pitch in to the research blindly not knowing a child was involved" He smirked

"Where is she?" Sherlock asked, anger brewing in his voice.

"Oh, currently being prepped for an experiment in the main lab... A shame that you'll miss it" The man replied and fired the gun, missing them. Sherlock made his move to fight him off, disarming him "What room is she in?" He asked sternly, holding the gun to his head.

"305" The man choked as she Sherlock knocked him out "Thank you" He nodded as John helped him drag him into the cell and they took his cell phone for good measure. The two shut and locked the cell, Dash growling at the cell door as they ran off to find Sara at room 305.

They kicked down the door and John took out a gun and Sherlock brought out his gun he stole from the ass who bought Sara. Surprised, everyone got on the ground "Shut down the operation!" Sherlock yelled at everyone. The room was bright. A square water tank was on the wall and Sara was inside it. Tables with computers were scattered throughout the room.

"Or what?" One glared. Sherlock rolled his eyes and shot up at the ceiling and some sparks came down, panic at the other scientists.

"You think that scares us?" Another asked. Sherlock glared at the woman who spoke and John shot the computer "Shut it down before we arrest you all for human trafficking, child abuse and attempted murder in the first degree" John threatened. Sherlock glanced at his partner for a moment and hid a smirk. One scientist shut it down.

"Derek! Get her outta there!" A woman glared at him and he did so. Sherlock and John pushed them out of the way once she was out. Dash ran over and whimpered as he saw her state. He nudged her hand gently and whimpered. John went to feel for a pulse "She's at least breathing, but it doesn't look good..." He sighed as he heard a gasp of air and raspy coughs come from Sara. Dash barked happily and licked her face "Dash?" she croaked "Ok buddy, calm down..." She giggled weakly and slowly sat up. Sherlock gave a smile, John was thankful that she was ok "Let's get you out of here" John offered and stood, Sara slowly standing shortly after and they made their way to leave the room.


	9. Chapter 9: Operation Haverhill Rescue 2

A scientist sounded an alarm and Sara gasped. Guards started to run to the location. Lights went to red and they surrounded the group, guns pointed at them.

"PUT THE GUNS DOWN! AND HANDS UP" One yelled. Sherlock and John obliged and did so. Sherlock glanced down at Sara "Sara... on my cue... grab a gun on the ground and run... as fast as you can and don't look back... don't worry about us... we have a plan" he whispered to her.

"But, I don't want to leave you behind" she looked at him sadly.

"Again, we'll be fine... don't you trust me?" he asked. Sara hesitated on her response, but gave a nod. Sherlock gave a slight grin as they got on their knees, hands above their hands. Sherlock glanced at the guards and back at Sara, waiting for his cue. They handcuffed John and Sherlock. Sherlock kicked the guard who was about to handcuff "Run!" he yelled and she grabbed a gun and she ran as fast as she could and Dash followed behind.

"She's armed!" One feared and got into the arms on another guard who was scared.

"You Morons! We're armed too!" Another yelled and chased after her and so did a few of the others. Sara ran as fast as she could and she hid inside a vent and saw the guards run past her. She looked back at Dash "Let's go to the security room" She nodded and they crawled off to the security room.

Meanwhile, a guard placed Sherlock and John in a cell and stood guard at the locked door. Sherlock looked around the locked room and John looked down "Do you think she'll come back to oh I don't know, save us?" He asked.

"Oh course she will John, when I asked if she trusted me, she was hesitant... some doubt was evident and besides, if she's smart enough to outrun Scotland Yard's finest, she's smart enough to outrun these idiots" he smirked, being confident in his response.

"Are you seriously going to rely on a little girl to save your cocky ass?" John asked, surprised.

"Yep" Sherlock asked in monotone. John looked down and shook his head gently.

Meanwhile, Sara kept crawling through the vents and Dash was right behind as she stopped and saw a scientist at the computers with a cup of coffee and she glared and slowly crawled out of the vent. She sneaked over to the scientist and she suddenly knocked him out when close enough. Sara grabbed the keys to the handcuffs, keys to the cells and looked at the camera to see which cell they were one, 603. She knew because it said that above the screen and she went out to rescue her new friends. "HEY!" A guard on patrol yelled.

"Uh oh. Come on Dash!" She yelled and started running as fast as she could. More guards made a move to try and grab her. Sara slid in between their legs and kept running to cell 603. She got to the opposite end of the hall "Alright Dash, distract the guard over there" She grinned.

Dash ran over to the guard at the door, barking happily. The guard smiled and nodded "Hello there little fella' and where did you come from?" He asked as Dash barked and kissed his hand happily before running off and panted gently. The guard chased after him. Sara sneaked over to the cell and used the key to unlock the cell. Sherlock and John looked up at her "Sara, how did you-?" John asked

"No time" She replied and unlocked their handcuffs quickly. Sherlock then glanced at John "And you had doubt" he smirked, as they stood.

Sherlock, John, Sara ran out of the cell quickly. Sara whistled for Dash and he ran back quickly and they went to make their escape. But suddenly, "You take another step there and I shoot" They turned around and the man who bought Sara was there, a bit more disheveled and he panted and had a gun in his hand. Sara growled and pointed the gun at him "Aww, the little girl fending for herself is she?" He asked, laughing. Sara glared at him "Don't judge a book by it's cover Mr. Pasquantonio" Sara warned.

"Ooh, I'm so scared" He laughed and BANG! A bullet in the leg and the man bellowed in pain "You bitch!" He yelled

"That's for all those times you hurt, manipulate, experiment, blackmail, and tortured me" She snarled and put the gun down "Be lucky I didn't kill you" She added, she turned on her heel and started walking.

"Oh, you think this is over Ryder?! It's far from over! I'll find you again and when I do, I'll have even more where this came from and I will ensure that to you, bitch!" He yelled. Sherlock glared at him "John, make sure that Sara and Dash are ok. I'll meet you guys outside" John nodded and went outside.

Sherlock walked over to Mr. Pasquantonio, anger evident in his eyes. He kicked the gun away and grabbed Pasquantonio by the collar "You touch her again and I swear things won't be as smoothly. You are lucky to be alive. I however, won't be so kind to you Mr. Pasquantonio and I will send over the swat team and have your ass arrested and on a death sentence, you understand? Heed this as your first and final warning, understand?" Sherlock spat angrily and Pasquantonio nodded quickly "Good" Sherlock slammed his head on the ground to knock him out and walked outside to meet Sara, John and Dash.


	10. Chapter 10: The Resolution

Sherlock, John, Sara, and Dash walked out of the woods and were all exhausted. Lestrade, his force and an ambulance arrived not long after Sherlock made the call. Lestrade looked at them and nodded "How far?" He asked

"About a mile south... can't miss it" Sherlock replied as Lestrade's troop went in that direction. Lestrade looked at Sara and Dash for a moment and turned back to Sherlock "What about the kid? You're not just going to let her go right?" He asked.

"I'll have to think about that one. However, she'll be staying with me. I'll contact you when I made my decision" He replied. John looked at Sherlock and rubbed his neck "I'm going to go home Sherlock. I have a busy day at the surgery and I'm sure Mary is worried sick about me... Do you want me to write about this case?" He asked.

"Alright John. You can write it tomorrow and I'll see you tomorrow afternoon" He smiled and shook John's hand as John called a cab to go home. Sara was sitting on the grass with Dash on her lap and he was barking happily, cheering Sara up slightly. Sherlock looked down at Sara and gave a small grin in their direction. He eventually approached her, hands in his pockets "We should get going" He advised and Sara stood, Dash following as he called a cab. Sara, Sherlock, and Dash got inside and started to go back to Baker Street. The ride home was deathly quiet and Dash slept on Sara's lap peacefully. She looked out the taxi window and it was a beautiful, clear moonless night. Stars littered the sky. Sherlock glanced at Sara for a moment "How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to bring up conversation. He realized he didn't know Sara that well and wanted to try to gain her broken trust.

Sara looked up at Sherlock "I'm ok, I guess" she shrugged slightly.

"Something's wrong" Sherlock interjected

"What?"

"Something's clearly wrong just from your posture and expression. Don't deny it Sara, there is something on your mind. Care to tell?"

"Well, I just... I'm scared to be honest with you. I'm scared they'll come back and that mean guy will try to manipulate me again. I don't know who to trust anyone. How will I know you won't do the same thing? How will I know if I can trust you or your friend?" She replied sadly before looking down at Dash "I've been lied to my entire life. I've been manipulated and abused... what's the point to even trust a person? How will I know that you won't just dump me into this so-called 'Homeless Network'?" She air-quoted. Sherlock looked away, she was right. He realized that she been through so much and just wanted to be loved. He was just going to put her in the homeless network and hoped for the best for her. But now, a pang of guilt hit the detective and wanted to have the night to think about her future. He saw a lot of himself as a child. Quiet, easily manipulated, overshadowed, underestimated, misunderstood...

The taxi pulled up to the flat and Sherlock paid the driver and they went inside the flat. Sara carried Dash inside who was still sleeping. They went upstairs to his flat and Sara on the couch as Dash slept. "You can sleep in John's room if you like?" Sherlock offered to Sara. She nodded and carried Dash to John's room "Good night and thank for everything..." She grinned and went in the room and got on the bed quietly, placing Dash beside her and slowly fell asleep.

Sara woke up the next morning to boiling water and puppy kisses. Dash kissed her face as she woke up. She yawned and slowly got up, walking into the kitchen. Sherlock was doing some obscene experiment "Good morning" He took a sip of his tea, looking into a microscope and wrote down notes "Tea?" he offered, gesturing to the tea kettle and mugs.

"Sure... It wouldn't hurt to try it" She smiled softly as Sherlock reached for the mug and tea kettle and poured the mug, giving it to her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Brain tissue. Trying to see what part of the brain can make a person go into insanity and what effect that has on the average human brain" Sherlock explained and looked closer into the microscope as Sara tried the tea for the first time.

"Oh yes, Lestrade and my brother should be here soon to negotiate your future" Sherlock reminded her.

"Ok..." Sara nodded gently and sat on the chair across from Sherlock and sipped her tea gently and nodded gently. After about an hour, Mycroft and Lestrade walked inside the flat "You're both late" Sherlock reminded, sitting in his chair, in his mind palace.

"There was a lot of traffic" Lestrade explained and sat on the couch gently. Sara glanced at Lestrade and Mycroft and looked down.

"So we are here to negotiate Sara's future" Mycroft gestured to Sara

"I say we put her in prison, she has caused a bunch of trouble around the city!" Lestrade glared at Sara.

"She's only a kid Gerry. We can't put her in an institution, she's been through enough of that, and it's only a mad house in there" Sherlock replied

"It's Greg!" He yelled.

"Well, why not the homeless network. She'll be taken care of there" Mycroft butted in.

"Mycroft, I love your intelligence, but I'm not going to do that" Sherlock glanced at Sara "It's why I came to the conclusion to adopt her. She's somebody I'm willing to protect and give her some of her life back" he looked back at the two. Lestrade's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Well, where are your papers?" Mycroft asked.

"Oh brother mine, that's already taken care of. I did it last night while she was sleeping" Sherlock smiled

"Without consent" Lestrade stood

"Sara, would you like my brother here to adopt you?" Mycroft asked, looking back at her.

Sara looked down, surprised but excited. Then again, he saved her life, but wasn't sure if he could trust Sherlock or not. She took a breath and took a sip of tea to calm her nerves slightly. After a moment, she replied "Yes, I do. I don't care what I'm sacrificing, but I would like him to be my family" Sara nodded.

Lestrade looked at Sara then at Mycroft "Well that settles that" Mycroft nodded and stood "Congratulations Sherlock! You now have a daughter. I'll bring over the pardon papers in a few days to clear her 'record'" He added before walking out, Lestrade walking out of the flat. Sara looked at Sherlock and he gave a smile "Welcome to the family" He said before standing and Sara ran up and hugged him, tears of joy coming out of her eyes. She then whispered "Thank you..." She sniffled. Sherlock couldn't help but chuckle "You're welcome Sara" He said before hugging back gently.


End file.
